Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who now works for NBC Sports, admittedly wasn’t too high on Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell earlier this offseason.
It wasn’t that Simms didn’t think Howell could play, but he had questions. Fair enough. When he ranked the NFL’s top 40 quarterbacks, he ranked Howell No. 39 and acknowledged Howell could make him look silly.
Earlier this week on Pro Football Talk, Simms and Mike Florio were reviewing the Week 1 NFL preseason slate when their attention turned to the Commanders’ game against the Browns.
Howell, who was nine of 12 with 77 yards and a touchdown, was a popular topic to discuss for Simms.
He came away impressed.
“Played well in the first outing of the year,” Simms said. “Looked good, looked comfortable.”
More from Simms.
“This is what I like about Howell. One, he’s got a good natural feel for the game. Where to move in the pocket. ‘Oh, wait, this guy might be open; I’m going to hold the ball for a half-second longer to get the 20-yard completion.’ And then what you heard the players talk about. Look at that, even the movement in the pocket there. Those are the things I really like about him. He’s a natural that way.”
Simms believes Washington’s offense has the potential to be very good with Howell under center.
“And then what you heard the guys talk about, he can throw the ball down the field. And with the weapons they have and [OC Eric] Bieniemy calling that offense, we know they want to throw the ball down the field. So that’s where it was a positive for sure………He looked really good for his first outing. Looked very comfortable. And that offense has got some potential to be scary if he can really get a grasp of it and take advantage of what Bieniemy coaches there.”
Simms and Florio praised Bieniemy as the perfect offensive coordinator to develop Howell. Simms also said how much he loves Washington’s receivers, running backs and tight ends, and believes the offensive line has improved.
Two areas of concern for Simms were Howell’s “slow release” and “not a lot of different arm angles.”
Clearly, Simms spoke before this happened during Wednesday’s practice with the Ravens.